Raven: Gems of Wolfe Island Two

“I know you won’t, baby. There isn’t a vindictive bone in your body. But the less you know about me—about who I really am—the safer you’ll be.”

I shudder. My safety is at issue?

I lived the last ten years with my safety at issue at all times. Diamond always told us that our safety was a top priority. Sure, these men could violate us in whatever twisted ways they wanted, but they couldn’t kill us.

So in that way, we were safe.

That was an interesting definition of the word safe.

But one thing’s for sure. Not much scares me—I mean truly scares me—now.

“I’m not afraid,” I say to Luke. “I’ve seen the worst in humanity. There’s no way you’re bad for me.”

He rubs his forehead. “So much you don’t know. I’m afraid. I’m afraid for you.”

“Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? You saw the scars on my back. And I can tell you that a lot of things didn’t leave scars—not physical ones anyway. Do you really think there’s much that scares me in this world?”

“I don’t know, Katelyn. But there is one thing that scares me.”

“What’s that?”

“Harm coming to you. I will do anything to keep you safe. And that means…keeping you out of my world.”

“I don’t accept that. I don’t accept that at all. You’re nothing like them. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

He rakes his fingers through his short hair. “I don’t want to get rid of you. I want to be with you. All I want is you, Katelyn. But I can’t have you. Don’t you see?”

“No, I don’t see. I don’t see at all. What I see is a man hiding from something. You hid your beautiful blue eyes from the world. What else are you hiding? I saw your hair dye in the bathroom. You don’t really have that dark brown hair, do you?”

“I’m blond. Kind of a sandy blond.”

“So why?”

“I can’t,” he says. “I can’t.”

“What can you do?” I ask.

“This.” His lips come down on mine once more.

17

LUKE

I can’t think about this. Can’t think about any of this.

Just need to have Katelyn one more time.

If she breaks the kiss again, I don’t know what I’ll do. What if I can’t have her one more time? What if I go to LA, lose my life, and never taste Katelyn’s sweetness again?

She doesn’t stop me, thank God. And as I kiss her I brush one strap of her camisole over her milky shoulder. I rip my lips from hers and kiss her neck, the top of her chest, her shoulder. My God, she’s so beautiful, her skin like fresh cream. The texture is smooth under my lips, under my fingertips, and she tastes… She tastes like flesh and caramel.

I’m going to fuck her. It’s not going to be nice and it’s not going to be pretty. But I need her.

I roll off her and undress her quickly.

“Luke, you’re going to rip the fabric.”

“I don’t care. I’ll buy you a new one.”

“On your waiter’s salary? Luke, come on.”

“I have money, baby. I have lots and lots of money. I’ll buy you whatever you need.”

And I will. First thing I’ll do when I get to LA is call my lawyer and make sure Katelyn is well taken care of no matter what happens to me.

I manage to get the camisole off her without tearing the fine fabric. Her breasts… She’s not wearing a bra, and oh my God, she’s so beautiful.

I caress the round globes, skim over the hard nipples. She undulates beneath me, raising her hips, looking for something…

Something I’m ready to give her.

I’m so freaking hard. My dick is pulsing against my jeans. I need to free it, let it breathe, let it find what it’s looking for—Katelyn’s pussy.

“Feels good, Luke,” she says on a soft breath.

“I’m going to suck on your nipples, Katelyn. Suck them and bite them and make you so crazy that you beg me to stop.”

“I will never beg you to stop.”

I believe her, but I go to work on a nipple anyway, first sucking it gently between my lips, relishing in her moans and undulations. Then I nibble it, taking it between my teeth, nipping it harder and harder and harder until I bite it.

“Oh!” she gasps.

But she doesn’t tell me to stop.

I bite the nipple again while I pinch the other one between my fingers.

But then I stop. I let the nipple drop from my lips.

“What?” she says.

I don’t answer.

I picture Pollack or any of those other derelicts doing terrible things to Katelyn’s body. Rage…that familiar fucking rage…

Her body should be treated like a shrine. Who am I to deface it?”

“Luke?”

“I’m sorry, baby. I love you, but…”

“What?”

“Those men… What they did to you… I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t be touching you like this.”

“Yes, you should. I want it.”